Journal Entry

Japanese Tea Garden Journal

April 7, 2011

Tho I am far, far away from anything that actually looks like a Japanese Tea Garden yet, I have found great satisfaction in my daily efforts toward that end. I mentioned that this has been a nine year long dream of mine. What I didn’t address was the impetus for finally starting. I think it important to know why we do what we do when we do it. It’s an integral part of living your life actually aware and plugged in to your own ‘present’ moment.

I was having a discussion with a dear friend that asked what I participated in to reduce stress, something I did ‘just for me’. It struck me that if a friend this close to me had to ask that question, whatever it was must not be evident in my day-to-day world. This friend KNOWS me, knows me well. If she didn’t know, no one would. This sent up all kinds of red flags for me. Then she asked me what I would do for myself if I could.

I ‘do’ all kinds of things. I ‘enjoy’ a lot of different activities. I am blessed to love my vocation of choice. I think part of my key to enjoying life is that I look for things to appreciate in the mundane chores required, as an example – how I enjoy hanging out the laundry on the line or the sense of immediate gratification I get from ironing. I choose not to see it as something I have to do but rather something I enjoy doing. But what do I “do” just for my personal pleasure, something to nourish my soul, if you will?

At first glance, I didn’t see anything. Apparently, my friend didn’t either. Then I thought about my daily tea ritual at 2 in the afternoon. I “do” that for me. Thoughts of my tea ritual led me to my dream for the Japanese tea garden and the serenity I feel when I simply contemplate sitting in the midst of this garden, away from the world and her stresses. That’s what I would do if I could, I would create my garden rather than just dreaming the years away. I would “do” that just for me if I could.

No, I can’t run out and buy the materials to put the fences up and building the actual Tea House may be light years away (even if it is small) in a realistic world but I can DO something. I can start! I can rake and prune trees and plot my vision in color on the computer…all of which I have done already. I walk the “fence lines” looking at the area from every angle to make sure my vision encompasses all the standard elements for a traditional Japanese garden. I ‘feel’ the emotion and peace I anticipate when I finally get to stroll the winding paths admiring the plantings and structure of the garden as I discover each new view all over again every day. I can do that. 

For years I have poured over pictures of Japanese gardens in anticipation of actually having one of my own. I will continue to peruse the pictures because it puts a ‘face’ on my vision, if that makes sense. But I am determined to longer just dream. Each day I am one day closer to my vision coming to life and I will “DO” something as often as I can toward that end.

            I hope you will “DO” something just for you, too!